Mallow seeds - old cultivated plants full of flowers

Mallows are among the plants that have accompanied people for centuries. Their large, open flowers make them striking garden plants, yet many species were once also valued as medicinal and useful plants. Wild mallows grow along roadsides and in meadows, musk mallows bring delicate flowers to naturalistic plantings, and annual mallows provide abundant colour in summer beds.

With mallow seeds, this versatile group of plants can be rediscovered in a very direct way. Many species flower over a long period and offer bees, bumblebees and other insects plenty of food.

Mallows: a plant genus with many faces

The genus Malva belongs to the mallow family and includes annual, biennial and perennial species. Some grow low and rather inconspicuous, while others develop strong, upright flower stems and reach over one metre in height.

Among the best-known species are common mallow Malva sylvestris, musk mallow Malva moschata and greater musk mallow Malva alcea. The popular annual mallow is also now botanically included in the genus Malva and is listed as Malva trimestris. Its former name Lavatera trimestris is still widely used in horticulture.

From cheeseweed and old plant traditions

Common mallow is also known in many places as cheeseweed. This unusual name refers to its flat, disc-shaped fruits, whose individual segments resemble small wheels of cheese.

Such old names show how familiar mallows were to our ancestors. They were valued not only as garden plants, but also used as medicinal and food plants. To this day, mallows therefore combine floral beauty and cultural history in a special way.

A long summer of flowers for insects

Mallows open their flowers over many weeks. Bees, bumblebees, hoverflies and butterflies visit them in search of pollen and nectar. Some butterfly caterpillars also use mallows as food plants.

Whether common mallow, musk mallow or colourful annual mallow: mallows fit beautifully into naturalistic gardens, loose perennial plantings and summery flower beds, combining garden beauty with ecological value.